How did you discover Godzilla?

[canofhumdingers]

Discussion in the '84 thread got me to thinking... What are your earliest memories of godzilla? Did you grow up always knowing about & watching the films courtesy of a parent who liked them? Did you discover them in a "eureka!" moment? Was it a gradual process of permeating pop culture? How did you become a fan of Godzilla?
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I grew up a die hard fan of dinosaurs. Reptiles in general were held in high regard as possibly the most awesome things ever, but dinosaurs were the creme de la creme so to speak.

My very first Godzilla memory is from 1985. I was only 3, but I distinctly remember being at my grandparents house watching tv with my cousins. A Godzilla 1985 preview came on & of course I was instantly captivated. I don't remember much, but I DO remember the shot of Godzilla blasting the dock/military from the water & how awesome it was! I was actually chewing grape bubble gum & pulled it out in a long string to mimic the breath.

But that was not what hooked me. My next encounter, a few years later, was at show-and-tell in Kindergarten. For the letter G, a kid brought in a 6 inch Imperial Godzilla. I vaguely recognized the monster & was secretly jealous of the toy, but that was about it.

But I was not officially sworn in as a bonafide Godzilla Fanatic until I was 10 years old. I was at blockbuster to rent a Nintendo game (this was still when NES was the only system blockbuster carried games for!). I spotted a box with a giant dinosaur spewing blue flames. Godzilla, Monster of Monsters was, in reality, a pretty crappy game but my goodness! I LOVED it! It was difficult, awkward, and frustrating; but smashing mountains, fighting monsters, and spewing radioactive death as the coolest looking dinosaur I'd ever seen was SO FUN!

When it was time to return the game, I convinced my mom that I just HAD to rent a Godzilla movie now! We found a modest selection in the Scifi section. I scoured the box covers trying to decide which one I should rent when my Mom made a suggestion that I'm sure she secretly regrets to this day....

She picked up a tape and said, "this one says it's the original. Why don't you start with the first one?" The logic was sound, and the cover was really cool: (okay, this is the LD cover, but the VHS cover was basically the same)


That night I watched Godzilla, King of the Monsters and have been a huge fan ever since.

[armandv]

I was 8 years old in 1962 and was playing with a friend outside when his mom yelled across the fence that Godzilla, King of the Monsters! would be on tv in a few minutes. So he headed off for home.

I asked my mom what is Godzilla and she told me he's a big dinosaur. Intrigued, I went in and watched it. Been hooked ever since.

Little did I know that when I was two years old in 1956, my parents took me to a drive-in to see the same movie. My mom told me this a few years ago.

[H-Man]

I was only 2, but I have a vivid memory of seeing the opening credits of Godzilla's Revenge on TNT. Already being interested in dinosaurs, I couldn't turn away. I asked my mom about it and she told me what she knew (and having brothers that were monster fans growing up, she knew quite a bit) and that was that. I don't know if I watched it on Monstervision or not, but it seems that's the case.

When I turned three just a few months later, my dad bought me Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. Although I had already been exposed to Godzilla, this film (the first I owned) is what really turned me into a fan. Pretty soon, I had my parents on a crazed search for the rest of the movies, all the Trendmasters toys and any other Godzilla merchandise out there.

EDIT: I still remember the first shot of Godzilla I ever saw, too! In the , Godzilla punches a building over (stock footage of DAM) at the 1:20 mark. What a cool way to be introduced to the Big G, right?

[Kaiju Nexus]

I have a very faint recollection of watching Godzilla vs. Mothra or Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster when I was about 3 or 4 (maybe younger). Definitely remember my head nearly exploding every time I came across a Godzilla film in any store that I hadn't seen or owned yet, practically rabid at my parents for them to buy it for me.

Oh, and taping any and all things kaiju on TNT Monstervision and the Sci-Fi channel when they had their marathons.

Ah, the good 'ol days...

[The Top Crusader]

I always loved dinosaurs and my dad always talked about Godzilla and King Kong, so I sort of had built in knowledge without actually seeing a film.

Then Super Scary Saturday started on TBS, and I was excited all week leading up to Godzilla VS The Sea Monster... which ended up being the first G film I ever saw. I ended up seeing a number of Godzilla movies on there over the next couple years, and then on the TNT Monstervision marathons.

[Flame of Udin]

Godzilla was probably my earliest memory. Being a dinosaur and monster nut my parents introduced me to Godzilla probably before I could walk but to my recollection at about 3 years old. Been obsessed ever since.

[MekaGojira3k]

Monstervision, saw Mothra vs. Godzilla and Monster Zero there (though I fell asleep halfway through Monster Zero). Later bought the paramount Godzilla, King of the Monsters VHS at a local Rose's. Continued to watch the films either via Disney channel (still have Godzilla Raids Again, Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla as recorded via those showings.) Relied on family members to locate VHS tapes, and I can remember finding a large imperial Godzilla in a toys r us during the summer vacation following my first being introduced to Big G.

[TerranigmaFreak]

I honestly don't remember. He was one of those pop culture things that just makes its way into your head and you know he's there. My first Godzilla movie was Godzilla 1985 on TV. I was also exposed to a book in the library that very same year. It was a book about Godzilla.

[Flame of Udin]

[TerranigmaFreak]

[jellydonut25]

[Flame of Udin]

[MekaGojira3k]

[Reaper G]

I was five or six. I was already fascinated by dinosaurs when "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster" came on TV. I thought Mom found it for me, she always said I came across it myself, but there it was -- a big fire-breathing dinosaur fighting a big glob of goo. It wasn't long afterward that NBC aired "Godzilla vs. Megalon" and I realized there were more of these. I was hooked.

I watched all the movies as a kid, but I was phasing out as I became a teenager; I didn't even go to see G85 when it was released, but I still watched them if they came on TV. In the mid-90s I came across G-FAN and learned they were making new movies, I got back into it and I've been hopeless ever since.

[Shonokin]

I don't know when I first was aware of Godzilla, but I'm pretty sure it was through the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Issue 114 was my kaiju bible for a long time.

[Kaiju Nexus]

[Tyler E. Martin]

[lhb412]

[heroforhirerob]

[walshiam]

[walshiam]

[KaijuZoo]

[Flame of Udin]

[TitanoGoji16]

It was 1991-ish. I was about seven or eight years old. I was absolutely obsessed with Darkwing Duck. I wouldn't talk about anything else, and I think I was driving my parents nuts with it. As such, one day we're in the local video store and, to get my mind off Darkwing, my dad goes "Hey, check this out," and hands me Godzilla! King of the Monsters. I bet he regrets that now.

I must admit, though, it really didn't catch my attention all that much. I guess because it was in black and white, or something. But I liked it enough to watch another one, and so I saw Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. This one scared the crap out of me. I had just seen the original The Blob recently, which also scared me, and since this was basically Godzilla vs. the Blob, I was again terrified.

But even still, I guess there was something about these movies that I couldn't stay away from. The first one bored me and the second one scared me, so you'd think I'd be done with them, right? Wrong. I watched Godzilla vs. Monster Zero next.

This was the one that hooked me. An alien invasion! A three-headed dragon! Godzilla and Rodan joining forces! And it was in color and didn't have people melting in the streets!

So, if it weren't for being obsessed with Darkwing Duck, I wouldn't be obsessed with Godzilla.

[canofhumdingers]